Deb Fenn, immediate past president of Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail, represented the rail trail Board members, to our ECRT friends, and our supporters gathered for "Shake on the Lake", an outdoor theater presentation of Henry the 5th by SLAM, Students Love Arts and Music. She applauded the installation of these sculptures and introduced each of them with a brief description of each artist's vision for their creations to the audience. Here are her remarks:

"Springville, as you may know, was the first municipality to support its section of the 27-mile rail banked corridor. They helped raise funds and secure the manpower needed to create your Pop Warner trail right here in the village.

Seth Wochenski approached ECRT a few years ago about creating a “sculpture alley” along this previous industrial trail section we have all gathered around today. Sculpture Alley is a whimsical, creative asset to the trail, that ignites the imagination and invites your engagement as you walk, ride or snowshoe along the trail.

So, what are these creations? J. Brian Pfeiffer offered two original concrete creations: one is a figure sitting by a suitcase looking down the tracks in anticipation of his train. His second piece recreates an imaginative tower signaling to trains coming by.

Through angled metal pipes,  Sarah Fonzi’s piece invites you to view scenery from various angles, as one might view passing vistas through a rail car window.

One of Rich Federowicz's pieces features the tools used for train operation and maintenance, while the second piece topped with circular green glass pieces was inspired by railway water filling stations and evokes falling or running water.

At the North end of sculpture alley you'll find Matt Retzlaff's creations. He has imaginatively repurposed found metals to conjure visions of the moon and stars!

I encourage you to enjoy the evening here along Springville sculpture alley and I sincerely hope you will revisit this part of the trail often, and continue to delight in its artistic offerings for many years to come."

“This program is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Services Inc.”

See additional photos and video from this event in the ECRT Google Photo Album "Sculpture Alley Additions 2024".